“Begin with the end in mind, put your goals in focus, and move your ideas into the real world.” Stephen Covey, Habit 2, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People “We all have goals. Some of our goals are big, some small, but most importantly, they are ours. We run into problems, however, when we start comparing our goals to everyone else’s […]
New Ruling Holds All Financial Professionals to a “Fiduciary Standard”
The fiduciary standard is receiving significant press in light of the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) approved expansion to the “investment advice fiduciary” definition under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). In broad terms, fiduciary duty means putting the interests of the client first, ahead of profits. It means that the advice a client receives serves the client’s best interests, […]
Quarterly Market Review – Q1 2016
For an in-depth look at the world capital market performance and a timeline of events during the past quarter, here is our Quarterly Market Review: About Christopher Jones Christopher Jones is the Founder and President of Sparrow Wealth Management, a fee-only financial planning and investment management firm. Before entering the investment field, Chris was a management consultant for Deloitte Monitor. […]
Client Letter – Q1 2016
During the past quarter, the best performing asset classes were U.S. real estate, emerging markets, and inflation protected bonds. The following chart shows the 3-month, 5-year, and 10-year performance of many DFA funds (representing different asset classes) compared to the S&P 500 Index: Market Returns for the period ending March 31, 2016 DFA Fund / Index 3 Month Return 5 […]
Do You Need a Financial Advisor?
“It’s the best check my wife writes every quarter.” That’s what Professor Ken French says when asked why someone like him would need a financial advisor. French is the head of investment policy and a member of the board of directors for Dimensional Fund Advisors. He is also the Roth Family Distinguished Professor of Finance at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth […]
Why Should You Diversify Internationally?
Given how poorly international markets have performed relative to U.S. markets during the last 6 years, some investors may be wondering about the benefits of investing internationally. The simple answer is that different countries perform well at different times, and it reduces your risk and increases your long term returns when you’re broadly diversified across all of the world markets. While it’s very tempting to look […]
2016: Ten Predictions to Count On
The New Year is a customary time to speculate. In a digital age, when past forecasts are available online, market and media professionals find it harder to hide their blushes when their financial predictions go awry. But there are ways around that. The ignominy that goes with making bold forecasts was highlighted in a recent newspaper article, which listed many […]
Client Letter – Q4 2015
During the past year, the best performing asset classes were international small stocks and REITs (real estate). US stock returns ranged from -8% to 2%. Emerging markets lost about 16%! The following chart shows the 3-month, 1-year, and 3-year performance of many DFA funds (representing different asset classes) compared to the S&P 500 Index:Market Returns for the period ending December 31, […]
Quarterly Market Review – Q4 2015
For an in-depth look at the world capital market performance and a timeline of events during the past quarter, here is our Quarterly Market Review: About Christopher Jones Christopher Jones is the Founder and President of Sparrow Wealth Management, a fee-only financial planning and investment management firm. Before entering the investment field, Chris was a management consultant for Deloitte Monitor. […]
Market Commentary – Channel 8 News interview
Today, I was interviewed by Channel 8 News (in Las Vegas) about the current market conditions and the impact of the Chinese markets on Las Vegas businesses. Here are some of my answers to their questions: 1) The 450 point drop this morning had some people nervous. Were you? No, not at all. I focus on the long term. I […]
